Time to plan a French vacation in December? The most long-awaited movie in science fiction, James Cameron's decade-in-the-making Avatar, is hitting France and Belgium on December 16. It only opens in the United States two days later, on the 18th. So unless you catch a preview screening, you'll be behind the French. According to IMDB, it's also going to be in Russia, Germany, Australia and the Netherlands on the 17th. There's a smidgen of irony in the fact that Europe is getting Cameron's film (supposedly a parable about the ravages of colonialism) before the colonies do. Oddly enough, I found out about France's coup from a press release from a Hindu organization, warning that they'll be watching to see if Cameron's film handles the Hindu concept of "Avatar" in a sensitive fashion.